Kyrgyzstan’s Sex Education: Types and Importance
This essay explores the definition of sex education, its variations, and its significance in Kyrgyzstan. It looks at the foundations of sexuality education in society and how it is implemented in Kyrgyz society.
Introduction
Every kid has wondered how babies are formed inside of their mothers, and when a youngster asks an adult this question, the adult often feels awkward, embarrassed, and perhaps even angry, and may even put the child down for his or her curiosity. When students are already in biology or anatomy courses at school, professors often omit the subject of the human reproductive system’s construction, human development, and reproduction, and frequently assign these portions for self-study. The sex taboo has become a bigger problem. As a result, there are currently serious issues in Central Asian culture, including an annual rise in the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, an increase in adolescent pregnancies and abortions, and issues with tolerance for discriminated against groups and LGBT populations. All of these facts demonstrate that the issue extends beyond the home and the realm of education. Concerning the population’s health and wellbeing, this is a state-level issue. This subject, in my opinion, is very significant and remains current since it concerns us all. In this essay, we will examine the definition of sexual education, different kinds of sexual education, and the significance of sexual education in Kyrgyzstan.
Research Review
The Effects of Sex Education on Teen Sexual Activity and Teen Pregnancy, Gerald S. Oettinger (1999). This article investigates the connection between sex education enrollment and subsequent sexual conduct among American teens in the 1970s. According to the estimations, this cohort’s female members’ participation in sex education was linked to earlier sexual engagement. Sex education, on the other hand, had significantly less of an effect on male transitions into sexual behavior. Sibling data used in within-family analysis reveals qualitatively comparable patterns. Overall, the evidence points to sex education in the 1970s having some causal influence on juvenile sexual behavior, most likely in large part due to the knowledge it gave youths about how to change the risks associated with sexual engagement.
The Effect of Sex Education on Teenage Pregnancy Among Secondary School Students in the Ibadan Metropolis by Odekunmi Funke Beatrice (2013). Despite advancements in education, the number of unintended births among young women and teens in Nigeria has increased. Despite changes in the usage of contemporary contraceptives among sexually active adolescent women in Nigeria during the same time period, the number of teenage pregnancies has not decreased. Data were gathered for the study utilizing a self-report questionnaire and the survey research technique. The authors of the revalidated Adolescent Sex Education recommend a few first steps for teacher-preparation programs.
USMAN A. RAHEEM, GAFAR T. IJAIYA, MUNIR IJAIYA, ABDUL WAHEED O. OLATINWO, and RAJI A. BELLO In the 2010 study “HIV/AIDS AND WELL-BEING IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTH-EAST ASIA,” the effect of HIV/AIDS on the wellbeing of the population in these sub-regions is examined. The result suggests that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS has little to no meaningful influence on wellbeing when the frequency of TB is held constant. a circumstance that is related to the measures taken by the governments of the nations in the subregions to reduce the threat of HIV/AIDS. Despite this outcome, the article nevertheless offers strategies for preventing the illness from spreading and treating it in the sub-regions.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) produced international technical recommendations on sexuality education in 2018. It is a method based on research. In order to help education, health, and other relevant authorities in the creation and implementation of comprehensive sexuality education programs and materials for use in and outside of the classroom, the International technical guideline on sexuality education (the Guidance) was created.
What is sexuality education? (2016) The work of the European Expert Group on Sexuality Education gives a summary of the major concerns in sexuality education. It mostly focuses on sexuality education in Central Asia and Europe. I used this article to explain the advantages of sexual education.
Sex education: what is it? And what kinds of it are there? The goal of sexuality education is to increase and improve young people’s capacity to make thoughtful decisions about their relationships, sexuality, and overall emotional and physical well-being. Sexual education does not encourage young people to engage in sexual activity (European Expert Group on Sexuality Education, 2016, p. 427). The authors seek to convey the idea that education may include a variety of fields in addition to the reproductive system. Thus, there are two main categories of sexuality education. Sexual education that emphasizes abstinence merely educates kids to put off having sex until they’re married or are older. Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), according to UNESCO, is a curriculum-based method for teaching and learning about the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical aspects of sexuality. In order to realize their health, well-being, and dignity, develop respectful social and sexual relationships, think about how their decisions affect both their own and others’ well-being, and comprehend and ensure the protection of their rights throughout their lives, it aims to provide children and young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values necessary (UNESCO, 2018, P. 16).
Why is sexual education so important? “Sexuality education administered within a secure and enabling learning environment and along-side access to health services has a beneficial and life-long influence on the health and well-being of young people,” according to the European Expert Group on Sexuality Education (2016) (European Expert Group on Sexuality Education, 2016, p. 428). The authors of this book claim that their investigation into long-term sexual education in many European nations resulted in a decline in teenage pregnancies, teenage abortions, and young people contracting HIV/AIDS. Teenagers grow more self-aware and develop romantic relationships later. Another justification for the significance of sexual education in Kyrgyzstan is the rise in adolescent pregnancies, abortions, and HIV/AIDS cases. The conflict has always been between abstinence-only policies and sex education. While some experts say that the only way to stop teens from having sex is via abstinence education, others maintain that because teenagers will still have sex, it is preferable for them to have access to reliable instructional materials regarding sex. By doing so, they will be able to lower the number of HIV infections and adolescent pregnancies without consent (Guttmacher Institute, 2008).
Kyrgyzstan’s sex education system. “In 2015, 1408 young females under the age of 20 had abortions, according to the Ministry of Health. Infections caused by sexually transmitted agents were reported in 297 instances in young persons aged 15 to 19 in 2015. (to Federal Centre for Health Education, 2018, p. 3). As is common knowledge, discussing topics like sex is taboo in Kyrgyzstan, and many young girls struggle with issues like being unable to inform their parents about their first period or knowing how to properly utilize Intime hygiene items. All of this anxiety prompts people to look up information online about it, most of which is inappropriate for their age and may have negative psychological effects. Teenagers that engage in sexual relationships with their partners without having a lot of accurate knowledge may get several STDs.
The traditional method of teaching sexual education in Kyrgyz culture is abstinence-only, which instructs kids to put off having sex until they are either married or adults. According to Federal Centre for Health Education (2018), Kyrgyzstan began integrating sex education methods in 2015 and began offering ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ as a topic to pupils 12 years of age and older. Practice has shown that this topic is not required and that instruction varies by area, teacher preparation, and other administrative considerations in schools.
The subject of sexuality education “covers a variety of topics, e.g. hygiene, family planning, teenage pregnancies, early marriage and bride-kidnapping, violence, reproductive rights, sexual development, and gender, spread over different grades,” according to Sexuality Education in the WHO European Region (Federal Centre for Health Education, 2018). According to this article, the United Nations Population Fund and the “Deutsche Gesellschaft für international Zusammenarbeit” devised and produced methodological standards for instructors, which the Kyrgyzstani Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health have accepted (GIZ). However, no particular teacher training programs were set up. based on the article.
